Crime & punctuation

Kaitlyn Dunnett

Book - 2018

"After splurging to buy her childhood home in the Catskills, recently widowed Mikki Lincoln emerges from retirement as a freelance editor. With her ability to spot details that others fail to see, it's not long before Mikki earns clients--and realizes that the village of Lenape Hollow isn't the thriving tourist destination it was decades ago. Not with a murderer on the loose . . ." -- Publisher's annotation.

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MYSTERY/Dunnett Kaitlyn
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Subjects
Genres
Mystery fiction
Detective and mystery fiction
Published
New York, NY : Kensington Books 2018.
Language
English
Main Author
Kaitlyn Dunnett (author)
Edition
First Kensington hardcover edition
Physical Description
280 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781496712554
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

The Catskills in the 1930s were rife with gang-related crime, including a supposed Mob murder in Sullivan County's Lenape Hollow. This hit or maybe it was a copycat murder? is the subject of a manuscript that Tiffany Scott brings to Mikki Lincoln for editing. Mikki, a recently widowed and newly retired English teacher, has returned to live in Lenape Holow, her hometown, and has just set up shop as a freelance copy editor and book developer. Mikki takes Scott's job, but three days later is answering questions from the police about why her business card was found on Scott's body. Although she hadn't yet read the whole manuscript, Mikki recognizes that the way Scott was killed resembles the supposedly historic murder in the manuscript and starts asking questions. Maybe too many questions, for in talking with high-school friends, their children, and newcomers to the small town, Mikki finds that old wounds can still hurt. This first in a new series is nicely done, with good characterizations, not overly one-dimensional, as in many cozies. And, yes, the Oxford comma is a clue.--Muller, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Freelance editor Mikki Lincoln, the heroine of this entertaining series launch from Dunnett (X Marks the Scot), is coping with renovations to her childhood home in Lenape Hollow, N.Y., when aspiring writer Tiffany Scott asks for help revising her fiction manuscript. Despite promising early chapters, Mikki finds the tale of violent gangsters far-fetched and full of clichés. After Tiffany drowns, Mikki begins to wonder whether the book's characters have real-life counterparts-such as Tiffany's husband, Greg Onslow, an entrepreneur who has a controversial theme-park proposal; his associate, Alan Van Heusen, who may have secrets in his past; and Onslow's creepy security guard, Paul Klein, who has been following her. Ronnie North, Tiffany's grandmother and Mikki's supercilious former classmate, also has a motive: the shares of stock Tiffany left her. As Mikki's suspicions grow, a burglary at her house suggests that she may be asking too many uncomfortable questions. Appealing supporting characters include Mikki's loyal and resourceful friend, Darlene Uberman, and the ever-gossipy patrons of the local café. Cozy fans will be pleased. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review

An editor who's come back to her childhood home turns detective when her latest client winds up dead.Now that she's returned to Lenape Hollow in the Catskills, 68-year-old retiree Mikki Lincoln is prepared to relax and enjoy the good life alongside her cat, Calpurnia. To earn a little extra money, she does some freelance work as a book editor, offering novice writers guidance on the finer points of grammar. A few months later, young Tiffany Scott shows up unannounced at Mikki's place with a full manuscript in tow. Though writers usually just send her work online, Mikki humors Tiffany, agrees to review the manuscript, which is a murder mystery, and even skims the first few pages, which look promising. Before she can return it to Tiffany, a call from the local police tells her Tiffany's drowned with Mikki's business card in her pocket. When the police officer says that Tiffany might have been murdered, Mikki begins to investigate, using Tiffany's book as a springboard. She gets help from her closest childhood friend, scooter-riding Darlene Uberman, who's not one to let her friend get into trouble alone. It's a good thing Mikki has Darlene on her side, because she has to contend with her childhood history with the rest of the town, starting with her high school ex, Mike Doran. According to the cops, Tiffany's grandmother Ronnie is a likely suspect for the murder, and the long animosity between Ronnie and Mikki makes it hard for Mikki to believe in Ronnie's innocence--at least until she gets to know Tiffany's husband, wealthy developer Gregory Onslow. Greg, a relative newcomer to town, owns Mongaup Valley Ventures, and Mikki suspects that he had the most to gain from Tiffany's death, if only Mikki can get to the bottom of it.The signature cozy style of Dunnett's Liss MacCrimmon series (X Marks the Scot, 2017, etc.) translates easily to this editorially focused new venture.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.